Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Back in Winnipeg. What a time. I am still processing everything, and am still unsure of what to say about my experience. I definitely learned a lot. I am changed. Everything else I am still trying to figure out.

I miss my team, and the wonderful people I met out there. But I don’t really miss New York . . . culture is so funny. From a Canadian point of view, everyone there is extremely rude. And I freaked out from being constantly touched by everyone. I’m a prairie girl, we have lots of room here . . .

But then I found myself being rude on the bus and pushing somebody when they weren’t walking fast enough. Apparently I have taken on some new New York attributes.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Its been awhile since I have documented here. Sorry for the lack of communication. Things are just so busy and by the time I get home I crash and go to bed, or debate theological constructs with my colleagues. Which is even more fun around glasses of wine . . .

Things are good. I am so blessed to be working with a fantastic team of women and men from around the world. I am learning so much from these people. What is sad is that we have lost 3 members now, as they had to go back home before the commission is over. It feels like we are incomplete; we already miss these team members – their skills, and their personalities. They bring so much laughter, joy, and commitment to the cause. It will be hard and certainy different to continue without them.

We have made some significant gains here – our larger delegation was chosen to read a verbal statement during one of the official UN meetings – this is a very rare priviledge for sure as there are over 200 NGOs represented here. Plus, within our larger delegation our smaller delegation of World Student Christian Federation students were chosen to make the address. This is so encouraging to us that we are seen to be an intregal part of this team – we certainly have worked hard for it! It was a very exciting and fulfilling moment to sit and listen to Veronica read our statement to the United Nations. We are working so hard here and so tirelessly, and it is great to see such tangible positive effects of our work.

Happy Women’s Day! March 8 marks the International Women’s Day. We spent the afternoon in a worship service where 3 of our group were involved in sharing stories about how their personal faith impacts their activist work. Listening to these stories, as well as the stories of other women from around the world, was fantastic, inspiring, very sad, and very hopeful. It was definitely meaningful. I feel so priviledged to be part of this experience.

Thanks for reading. There is so much I can say, but I feel that this keyboard is so limiting! I look forward to sharing my experiences more intentionally once I return. Plus I have committed to raising $500 for WSCF so that another student can get this experience next year. I am wresting with how best to do this – my favorite ideas right now include wine and beer tasting parties, a cheesecake affair, selling fair trade coffee, recording some drum songs, teaching drum lessons, etc. I have lots of ideas, but am not sure if they are cool enough . . . I’ll flush out this idea a bit more. But expect an invitation to something more than exciting . . .

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Hi everyone!Time for an update . . . my last posting ended on somewhat of a depressive note. I struggle with writing what is going on here – mostly because there is so much happening! Every day is very intense, and VERY full – for example, yesterday we started at 730 and finished at 11 pm Today we started even earlier at 6:30. So things are full and exciting.

My team is fantastic. I feel so blessed to be around such courageous, knowledgeable, integral women of Character. They are an absolute joy to work with! I can’t express this enough. I wll miss them all so much when we all leave!

Right now I am sitting in a panel entitled “Positve Masculinities” being put on by our wider delegation, the Ecumenical Women. This morning our team – the World Student Christian Federation, in cooperation with another young ecumenical women delegation – lead worship for the entire Ecumenical Women delegation. Yesterday we took part in official United Nations sessions we sat in the room with delegates from hundreds of countries. Reeally cool to be a part of that, where things actually happen, and it is also so eye-opening to see and understand how the UN really works. Somuch of it is beauticratic, arbitrary, and boring! Quite an experience. In addition to all of these things we attend dinners, work on our official policy recommendations, learn and share in panels and side events . . . lots to do! And over a week left to do it!

My last post I shared my struggles I was feeling. What is fantastic is that once I started talking about what I was feeling here, I heard lots of similar stories from people both within our delegation and other NGO’s which have nothing to do with us. We all struggle to make an impact, struggle with how much we can actually do, and are frustrated with so much of these processed. For example, some things are absolutely impossible to discuss, like true-gender inclusive language – these issues are simply not on the table. But it is heartening and significant that the delegates are speaking out and working on these things – it makes me believe that change will eventually happen in the UN, although it is painstakingly slow. Groups of people here really care about these issues and we will keep pushing, as our level of influence allows (and even beyond) to push these issues which are so close to our hearts.

So we are being strategric in what we want to happen in this commission – we are spreading ourselves out with our policy recommendations and telling anybody who wil hear – or anybody within earshot, including oru government delegates and anyone we can possibly speak to! Personally I have chosen to focus my influence on our Ecumenical Women larger delegation – to declare a voice withi this context – both where I am invited and where I am not – to strengthen us and to change us and our lanuage and gthe way that we do things so that in this commission and in future commissions we will be more unified, purposeful, and intentionally centred on the intersection of faith and justice. I love these women and I think I have a true place here to speak and influence the future. So I will grab onto that, and be bold, and push the envelope a little bit which is sort of the way that I do things.

I am learning so much, and I am changing everyday. Thanks for all of your notes of encouragement after my first dark few days – they are very meaningful to me.